


Sleepy Eyes

by starhugger



Category: MLAndersen0
Genre: Brotherly Love, Hurt/Comfort, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starhugger/pseuds/starhugger
Summary: Michael watches Shaun slowly recover after the events of GOODBYE.





	Sleepy Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I might include some context or backstory if anyone would like it (IE: How Shaun escaped and got home, etc.)

For the first three days, he was silent.

Michael could hear not a word from his mouth, as he sat on his bed. Sometimes when he pressed his head to the door he could hear a soft sigh, from chapped, pale lips. He peeked in at times to see him staring at his shaky hands, eyes as empty as the deep blue sea. What did he see? Michael didn't know. Maybe he saw the lights shining in his eyes from the attic. Maybe he saw the flashing purple irises of HABIT still staring into his soul, watching as he ran. Maybe he saw the empty blackness that were in the hairless dog's eyes as he stalked closer towards him. Maybe all at once.

Michael had dealt with a lot in his life, yet he still couldn't imagine how the other must be feeling right now.

 

On the fourth day he began to murmur.

Michael would come in and ask if he was alright.

He’d always hear the same soft “Yes.” he’s come to know be uttered from the other man's lips, but he knew he was lying. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d blinked his wide, dull eyes. They stared at him with the terror of a 1000 year old man breathing his last breath before fading away. Where did he think he was going to go after death? Or maybe, just maybe, he thought he was already there.

Maybe that's why he rarely spoke to him.

 

On the fifth day he thought he could see him walk around.

At the corner of his eye Michael could see him walk around the house. Not to any particular location, instead choosing to pace from one room to the other, never looking up. Maybe he still thought he had to run.

He still hadn’t blinked. Michael considered calling a doctor.

 

On the sixth day he hid away.

Michael panicked at first, thinking he might have run outside into the open, but he soon found him merely hiding pathetically in his closet, like they did when they were kids.

He tried to take him out, but he’d only shimmy further back into the mass of junk that was crammed in there years ago. Blankets, pillows, and old cardboard boxes now lived in here collecting dust, forcing Shaun's eyes to finally close and open again, staring into Michael once again.

He didn't say a single word, only choosing to whimper and hide further away. Was he scared of him, or something else? Michael didn't know.

He slept in the closet that night.

 

At the one week mark Michael had enough.

Carefully walking down the stairs, he saw him sitting down on the couch, wearing one of Michael’s long, white sweaters that were too big for him. Tears streaked his pale and tired face, his eyes shakily looking down at his cris crossed legs. He could hear his heavy, loud breath as he finally came beside him.

“Shaun?” Michael asked, soft as to not scare the other man.

Shaun jolted, his eyes flicking over to him before they slowly calmed back down, recognizing the worried face of his brother. Michael sat down next to him, refraining from touching him for the time being.

“Are you alright?” Michael asked, voice still quiet and gentle. Shaun sniffled, wiping his tears away with the sleeves that went beyond his hands, before slowly nodding and looking back down. Not a word spoken.

“Shaun, you know I can’t believe that. You’re crying…” He murmured, scooting closer and gently wiping the remaining tears that were beginning to fall again. He could see his brothers face slowly contort into a pained expression, as if fighting back the urge to bawl his eyes out. His eyes watered, and he whimpered, covering his face with his hands and bunching up into a small ball.

A sigh escaped Michael’s lips, and he slowly rubbed the other’s back before pulling him into his arms comfortingly. He could hear soft, small sobs escaping Shaun, and he kissed his scalp as he ran his hand through his hair.

 

“Shhh.” He whispered.

 

He wasn’t all that surprised by Shaun’s behavior, considering what he’d gone through, but seeing him this helpless was still something abnormal and new for him. He wondered how many times his brother had been able to hide his feelings from him like he’s clearly been able to do for a whole week.

Slowly, he felt Shaun unfurl from his ball, shakily holding onto Michael and grabbing tight. Michael could see the younger sibling’s puffy eyes and devastated face, but he made no comment on it for the other man’s sake. Every part of Shaun was tense and shaking.

“Hey…” Michael started. “Why don’t we lay down for a while? We can put a movie on and take a nap..”

 

Shaun looked up at him with big, crystal-like eyes. “C-can it be Disney?”

Michael smiled at him gently. “Of course. Go put some comfy clothes on and take off your binder. You can bring some blankets down if you want, too.” He replied, kissing his brother’s head again and patting his back before releasing his iron grip on his brother.

Shaun shakily stood himself up, rubbing his sleepy eyes before going upstairs. Michael watched him go, waiting on the couch as he processed everything that happened just then.

Should he call a doctor? He didn’t know if they could understand exactly what Shaun’s going through. And he knew what taking pills was like. He didn’t want him to be messed up on pills, but he didn’t want him to suffer even more.

Maybe he could help him on his own.

Shaun came back down the stairs, still wearing Michael’s sweater but also having stolen his pajama pants too. In his arms were a few small blankets and stuffed animals Michael didn’t even know he had. One in particular was a white rabbit with small red lines going down the sides of it’s chest.

He set the things down on the couch, and Michael stood up and helped tuck some of the blankets into the cushions before laying down on the couch. Instead of Shaun taking up the other side, he lazily crawled on his brother and slumped down on his chest, clutching his rabbit stuffy.

Michael made a soft grunt, before chuckling and ruffling Shaun’s hair. It took a few tries, but he managed to grab the remote and turn on and old Disney film he didn’t remember the name of.

Shaun yawned quietly, nuzzling Michael’s chest before closing his eyes. Michael slowly relaxed, patting his brother’s head and relaxing into the couch. Shaun was surprisingly light above him, so holding onto him was easy so long as the fan stayed on. He’d never seen Shaun act this way towards him, but it wasn’t exactly unwelcome, considering how touch starved the older brother has become.

He peered at the rabbit Shaun was holding. The red lines had been stitched on like suspenders.

 

Closing his eyes, he listened to the soft snores just beginning to rise as everything faded to black.


End file.
